Austen Said:

Dinner was on table.—Mrs. Elton, before she could be spoken to, was ready; and before

Mr. Woodhouse

had reached her with

his request

to be allowed to hand her into the dining-parlour,

was saying—

"Must I go first? I really am ashamed of always leading the way."

Jane's solicitude

about fetching her own letters

had not escaped Emma.

She

had heard and seen it all; and

felt some curiosity

to know whether the wet walk of this morning had produced any.

She suspected that

it had;

that

it would not have been so resolutely encountered but in full expectation of hearing from some one very dear, and

that

it had not been in vain.

She thought

there was an air of greater happiness than usual —a glow both of complexion and spirits.

She could have made an inquiry or two, as to the expedition and the expense of the Irish mails;—it was at her tongue's end—

but she abstained.

She was quite determined

not to utter a word that should hurt Jane Fairfax's feelings;

and they followed the other ladies out of the room, arm in arm, with an appearance of good-will highly becoming to the beauty and grace of each.

When the ladies returned to the drawing-room after dinner,

Emma found it hardly possible

to prevent their making two distinct parties;—with so much perseverance in judging and behaving ill did Mrs. Elton engross Jane Fairfax and slight herself. She and Mrs. Weston were obliged to be almost always either talking together or silent together. Mrs. Elton left them no choice. If Jane repressed her for a little time, she soon began again; and though much that passed between them was in a half-whisper, especially on Mrs. Elton's side, there was no avoiding a knowledge of their principal subjects:

The post-office —catching cold— fetching letters —and friendship,

were long under discussion; and to them succeeded one, which must be at least equally unpleasant to Jane—

inquiries

whether she had yet heard of any situation likely to suit her,

and

professions of

Mrs. Elton's meditated activity.

"Here is April come!"

said she,

I get quite anxious about you. June will soon be here."

"But I have never fixed on June or any other month —merely looked forward to the summer in general."

"But have you really heard of nothing?"

"I have not even made any inquiry; I do not wish to make any yet."

"Oh! my dear, we cannot begin too early; you are not aware of the difficulty of procuring exactly the desirable thing."

"I not aware!"

said Jane, shaking her head;

"dear Mrs. Elton, who can have thought of it as I have done?"

"But you have not seen so much of the world as I have. You do not know how many candidates there always are for the first situations. I saw a vast deal of that in the neighbourhood round Maple Grove. A cousin of Mr. Suckling, Mrs. Bragge, had such an infinity of applications; every body was anxious to be in her family, for she moves in the first circle. Wax-candles in the schoolroom! You may imagine how desirable! Of all houses in the kingdom Mrs. Bragge's is the one I would most wish to see you in."

"Colonel and Mrs. Campbell are to be in town again by midsummer,"

said Jane.